Deals for Silence
by IsThereAGhost
Summary: Volke is forced into a deal to train Mia in order to keep her mouth shut and maintain his reputation...
1. Chapter 1

_**Sorry it's taken so long to write another story! Enjoy and review. :D**_

Volke was annoyed. And not just because it had been raining for over five days now, either, though that was certainly part of it. Anyone can claim to love the rain, but when you live in it constantly- freezing cold, never ending, and sloshy rain- it tends to end any affection for water.

The Greil Mercenaries had been in Crimea for a _week _now. Ike was well known for moving his company around a lot, something Volke was thankful for. He had too many enemies to just sit around, waiting for them to catch up with him somewhere. Too many people wanted him dead.

At least, if they had to rot away inside, Elincia had provided her own castle as courters for the fighters. But they were all growing restless and mad- when would the stupid rain stop?

Volke, at the moment, was more irritated than any of the other mercenaries. And that was because a _girl_- a dumb, tall, long haired, sure to be whiney girl- was in _his _private training room.

Technically, it was Elincia's training room for her army. But she had offered the mercenaries any room of her grounds they desired. And since not one person wanted to walk in the freezing rain to come to the training room, Volke had had it all to himself for the past week. Alone. Peaceful.

But now here she was. Even Mist shoving food in his face wasn't as annoying as this girl hacking up the training dummies, getting their straw stuffing all over the place. Groaning internally, Volke ducked behind a rack of long swords before the girl could see him and try to talk to him or something horrible like that. Maybe she would be done soon. Hopefully so.

Behind the safety of the rack, Volke watched the girl with some interest. She was pretty good with that sword, chopping all the targets to bits and not even slowing down. As he watched, she stopped her attacks and jogged over to the center of the circular room, panting loudly.

Wincing, she pulled her armor off her sticky skin, throwing them messily into a large bag. She obviously didn't know anyone would be in this room, because she had dressed very sparingly under her armor; nothing but a short white dress. Volke felt his face heat up a bit at the sight.

There was silence in the room, and he expected her to pick up her things and leave. But instead of walking to the door, she plopped down on the marble floor and looked straight at Volke's hiding spot. She didn't look suspicious or angry- more like she was waiting for him.

"If you're going to watch me, at least come out and do it in the open. You'll be more comfortable when you're not behind that tiny rack." Her voice was calm, loud, and teasing.

But how the hell has she known? He was an assassin! Supposed to be as quite as a mouse and as cunning as a fox. And never- _never_- was anyone supposed to be able to find him if he hid.

He deliberated the situation for a moment. If he came out, it would be embarrassing.

But to sneak out- she would think him a coward. And he had a reputation to uphold here.

So, gathering what dignity he could, he stalked from behind the rack and stared at the girl icily, hoping to scare her into leaving. Maybe she wouldn't tell anyone that he had spied on her…

No such luck. Instead of looking frightened by his death glare, the woman smiled at him! She lazily leaned back on her arms, tossing her sweaty bangs out of her small face impatiently. Volke continued to stare at her, observing her long, purple hair, skinny frame and round eyes…

Come to think of it, he knew this girl. She was called Mia. Ike had asked him to watch over her a bit, since a lot of the men made their lust for her known. It became obvious to Volke after watching her a while that she could handle any unwanted advances, and Ike was pleased when Volke told him so. Volke respected that Ike wanted all members of his mercenaries to be safe.

Mia certainly could handle herself, though. He had watched many men- mostly drunk- coming up to her and trying to pick her up. Often they would grow angry at her when she refused them, and Volke would prepare to help her, but she would throttle the men before he ever need to step in, no matter how many there were. Looking at her more closely, Volke could see that while she was small in build, her body was made up of complete muscle. Even her shoulders.

She bored his look patiently, not looking embarrassed or shy. She was obviously used to having people stare at her. Mia simply had one of those bodies and faces you just looked at.

"So," she said finally, "why were you spying at me?" Volke shrugged, feeling a bit pissed off. _She _was the one who was intruding on him. If she had just stayed in her room where she belonged…

"Well, I propose a deal. Volke, isn't it?" Volke's head snapped up at the sound of his name. She knew his name? Nobody in the group knew about him- he was supposed to be a dark shadow.

"How… do you know my name?" Mia looked delighted at his question, that she had finally made him talk. "Well, one day I caught Mist sneaking some extra food out. I asked her who it was for, and she told me all about you. She said you were kind and strong and that you-"

Volke was outranged. That annoying girl was telling people he was _nice? _"I'm not kind. Strong, maybe. But not kind in the slightest." Now Mia's smile stretched even wider than it was before.

"That's why I want to make a deal with you! You don't want people to know that you spied on me, do you? And I want to get stronger." Now Volke was a little confused. She wanted to get stronger? How the hell was he supposed to help her get stronger? He didn't use a sword…

Mia noticed his confusion and clarified. "I mean, you can help me become stronger by, um, fighting me! I don't know how to defend against a dagger like you use. It would increase my skill a lot to fight against you. And I promise, I won't tell a single person about today… Since you're 'not kind' at all, you shouldn't mind fighting or beating up a girl who wants your help."

So she wanted a fight. A fight to keep her mouth shut. Fair enough. Volke understood deals. He had made plenty in his life. "Okay, woman. Be here tomorrow. And remember to keep your mouth shut. If you break our deal, I'll find out. And don't complain if you get a few bruises."


	2. Chapter 2

Mia was in a world of pain.

Her ribs were black and blue. Both her lips were busted. And worst of all, her two hands that held the handle of her beloved sword were coated in thin streams of never-ending crimson blood.

And there was Volke, barely even breaking a sweat. The worst pain she had managed to inflict on him was when she accidently dropped her bag on his toe. And he hadn't even winced at that, though she had apologized for at least twenty minutes. He'd only assured her that it was okay.

She did a mental assessment of her body as she swiftly dodged well-placed thrusts from Volke's dagger. He really was good with that thing, though he said he preferred a longer type.

Her face was fine, save for a few gashes. The ribs might be a problem in a while, though. She could feel the bruises forming from where Volke's dagger had slapped against them over and over again. At least he didn't actually stab her. And her arms- it would be a miracle if she would be able to move them at all tomorrow. Not to mention her legs, which were in absolute agony.

Despite her pain, Mia managed to keep a huge grin on her face all throughout her training. After all, she had promised not to complain if she "got a few bruises." And she was going to keep her vow no matter how much pain he put her in. After all, she was the one who had asked for this.

_'If I can just one good hit on him, I'll be happy… for today.' _As if sensing her thoughts, Volke narrowed his eyes and closed in on her once again- going for her ribs. Thankfully, Mia was able to dodge out of the way before the lethal dagger could slap her once again. Using her last bit of strength, she charged in on Volke, hoping to surprise him enough to get a good hit in.

It worked. Volke was too shocked at her bold charge that he didn't react in time to defend himself. Mia landed a small cut on his arm- her first victory during their five-hour training spree.

"Good work, woman. Take a break."

Watching Volke lean casually against a wall, Mia couldn't help but think how good looking he was. His eyelashes were long and his eyes were pitch black, just like his hair. The darkness looked especially striking against his pale skin. And if his face was nice, that was nothing compared to his lithe body. Sometime in the second hour of training, he had removed his shirt.

His stomach and chest were extremely defined and muscular. Not so much as Ike or Boyd, but it suited Mia just fine. He had the type of muscles that don't bulge out, but are very thin and wiry.

Just looking at him took a hit on her self-esteem. Mia knew she was considered cute, but she didn't look so much like a woman. Volke, standing there with no shirt on, looked manly.

Volke finally caught on to her staring at him. He didn't really mind, but the silence was getting a bit awkward. "So, uh, Mia. Where do you come from?" Mia lowered her eyes and turned a bit pink at having been caught staring. She was also a little flattered that Volke even cared to ask.

"Well, I was an aristocrat. My father wanted me to marry this man- he was fifty at least. And I was only eighteen. So I ran away. Greil found me, starving and alone. He trained me to fight."

Volke was hardly surprised. Mia had that look to her. That 'royalty' look. And she also had the attitude of one who was used to getting what they wanted- but Mia was also used to working hard. Add that to her purple hair- which is popular among the aristocrats- perfect posture, and her no-nonsense accent and any fool can guess that she once led a life of luxury.

"What about you, Volke?" "Oh, well. My mother died when I was young and my father was not- kind. I left when I was seven. For a while, I lived among the laguz bandits, who taught me to steal and fight. I tried to pick Greil's pocket when I had been trained as an assassin. He gave me a choice when he caught me- I could be killed for attempting to steal, or I could work for him."

Mia nodded slowly, looking a bit confused. "Then… you were here when Greil was alive. How long have you been here?" Volke shuffled a bit uncomfortably. "Well, you see, I'm a bit older than I look. I'll be twenty-eight in twelve weeks. So I've been here about eight years. And what about you, Mia? How old are you? You look to me to be about- sixteen or so. Maybe seventeen."

Pouting, Mia stuck her tongue out at Volke. "I'm twenty-two! Everyone says I look young. It's so annoying! I'm an adult, not a child." Volke laughed quietly, examining Mia discreetly. She really didn't look all that young to him at all. Well, maybe in her face she did.

But her body wasn't childlike. She was tall, with long limbs and a torso to match it. Even though she was muscled, she was still _soft_, in an odd way. And her figure certainly wasn't childlike.

"You don't look that young. And no kid could possibly be as strong as you are." Mia snorted, rolling her eyes. "I barely touched you all day, and you call me strong? I obviously need help."

"That's why we're here. Come on, we need to get back to training."

**Two Hours Later (From Shinon's Point of View)**

"Where the hell is that girl?" Shinon was pissed. Ike had asked him to give Mia the new sword she had ordered at dinner. And Shinon had been waiting for like an hour now, and the woman still hadn't shown up to eat yet. He had half a mind to join Rolf at their usual table and forget all about delivering the stupid sword. But then Ike would be all up his butt for the next few days.

"Finally," Shinon hissed as he spotted Mia walking into the dining hall. The girl looked like someone had just beaten the crap out of her. She had a black eye, her clothes were torn and both of her hands were wrapped in bloody bandages. Not to mention the fact that her lips were busted and she had at least twenty-five bruises covering every inch of her skin that was showing.

Still feeling a bit angry, Shinon hurried over to her, holding her new sword. "Hey! Mia! Who the hell did this to you?" Mia smiled at Shinon, shaking her head. "No one! I was just- I fell off a horse." Shinon laughed loudly at her horrible lie. "You fell off a horse? Was it eighty feet tall?"

Mia shook her head again, turning bright red. "N-no. It was just a normal… what do you want?"

"Oh yeah. I'm supposed to give this to you." Shinon gently put the long sword in her hand. "This is made out of real silver. Must have cost you a lot to buy it." Mia nodded, examining the sword carefully. "Thank you so much, Shinon. Now I have to go eat… bye."

Mia walked away nervously, glancing back at Shinon as if she thought he would follow her.

She was hiding something. And Shinon was sure as hell going to figure out what it was.

_**Huzzah! Shinon is possibly my favorite Fire Emblem character. I had to include him somehow. Go ahead and click that sexy review button. **_


	3. Chapter 3

__Usually, in the Greil Mercenaries' Camps, the men slept in large tents on the left hand side. There were usually three men to a tent, leaving them all enough room for privacy and comfort. The girls were placed on the right hand side, in smaller tents. Most of the females lived alone, since there weren't many women to begin with. Ike wasn't too forceful about this set-up though. He trusted his followers.

Since they were in a castle rather than tents, Ike had allowed everyone to pick an empty room and decide if they wanted to share or live alone. He himself was forced into an expensive room by Elinica.

So, Mia's room now was beside Shinon's. He had heard her leave at about five each morning, but had usually paid her no attention. This morning, though, he dressed himself and hurried quietly behind her.

Shinon wasn't one to intrude on anyone's private affairs. But this was different. _Somebody _was actually hurting Mia, beating her to a bloody pulp. And though Shinon didn't particularly care for the girl, he didn't want anybody hurting her, either. There was something… wrong… about hurting a woman.

Mia, running through the frigid rain, had no clue she was being followed. She reached the familiar building quickly, going inside after a moment's hesitation. Shinon followed her slowly, in case she happened to turn back for some reason. Maybe she was just beaten up from her intense training?

But no, he defiantly recalled bruises that came from something hitting you- not from training too hard.

Meanwhile, Volke was standing close to Mia, watching her stretch with a practiced eye. She was chattering nonsense to him, and the rain outside was loud. But that didn't stop his assassin's ear from picking up the sound of footprints approaching the door from outside the building. "Mia, come here!"

Volke's voice was quick, but his actions were even quicker. He managed to pick up the startled woman and throw her and himself behind a suit of armor before the door opened, revealing Shinon, who was looking around the room slowly, bow in hand. After giving the room a swift glance, he cursed and left.

Mia and Volke both let out a breath they'd been holding since the soaking wet man entered the room.

Now things got a little awkward.

In his haste to get them out of sight, he had thrown Mia behind the suit of armor, pushing her flat against the wall and holding both of his hands on either side of her head so she couldn't move at all.

Now, Volke turned to look at her, his hands still trapping her between his arms. Although _he _hadn't realized the closeness of their bodies, _she _had, and her cheeks were bright red. Shyly, she glanced at his face. He looked incredibly pissed. "Uh, Volke? Would you mind letting me go now?"

_**Review and enjoy :D **_


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